Sunday, March 30, 2014

Rand Has No Plan On Iran So I Ran

2016 is officially in the cross hairs for ambitious politicians on both sides of the isle. Which can only mean one thing.

It's flip flopping season.

For those of you wondering flip flopping season is that magical part of a four year cycle when even the most experienced and public ally recorded elected officials spend long hours with trusted friends and family and religious officials and childhood little league coaches reevaluating their positions on key issues in light of their own recent perspective changing experience experiences. Or they just do what politicians do. Turn on a dime to get your vote and subsequently get caught in the act.

Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican Senator, son of pioneering libertarian Ron Paul, and namesake of my favorite author has been drawn deep into the dying fish, fresh pancake, boy band hairstyle level flip flopping as his revs up the PR for a bid in the race for the next incumbentless presidential seat. Like his father his genius as a generally clear sighted libertarian departs on the subject of Iran which both regard as a nation much less dangerous to the west than it is publicly regarded. But as of the last year his tune has changed now that he needs appeal on a national scale and most Republicans don't look too kindly upon foreign policy towards Arab nations that embodies anything less than the Flight of the Valkyries scene in Apocalypse now.

But how should we feel about Iran?

It's the former location of the Persian Empire. Our CIA has been involved in government toppling operations there. More money leaves on passengers planes every year in the suitcases of its citizens than the government collects in taxes. And it's ruled by insane tyrannical theocratic warlords who will stop at nothing to see the West and everything it stands for destroyed.

Iran has been issuing threats to our greatest ally in the region every since Israel was founded. It's backed the actions of nations that went to war with Israel in the past and terrorist groups that plague the fledgling nation today. It's former president repeatedly made threats to drive Israel into the sea and the elite council of unelected shiite elders that rule the nation behind closed curtains is.... less than kosher.

The question remains: why would we not think of this nation as a threat to us and our allies, especially in light of their increasingly if not slowly articulating nuclear development programs? Americans doves claim that since those programs haven't yet condensated into WMDs that there's no need to go any further than the sanctions we've already imposed. But knowing that Iran is a socially and in terms of the leadership, mentally unstable nation should mean that waiting patiently for them to build nukes should be as high on our state departments list of priorities as posting Obamas perfectly timed Mandela funeral selfie for #throwbackthursday. I doubt that waiting for a shamelessly antisemitic and violent nation to get the kinds of missiles that could level the entire fertile crescent in a day wouldn't have passed as acceptable diplomatic behavior during the last real cold war.

Besides, Iran itself is full of hawks. And doves, we all know how the food chain works.